Leadership

Reflection

I will rate myself as foundational to intermediate in this competency area. I have some knowledge of leadership theory and principles, I regularly engage in self-reflection, I am a team player and I am open to change.  I am person who constantly seeks improvement in my work, attitude, and relationships. I also regard myself as an inclusion advocate who is constantly raising marginalized voices and building self-efficacy in others. I know and understand the value of good leadership and its impact in any organization in terms of team development and goal attainment and I have experienced this first-hand with the cohorts of students I work with each year and with a church community group I am responsible for. This competency area does not merely imply positional leadership but a disposition to use leadership as a response to the needs of people and organizations, apply skills in furtherance of team goals and advocate for others. Effective leadership is not rigid, it gives room for flexibility as each unique situation may demand a different approach; it is important to employ an adaptive approach to leadership for maximum success. As a leader in student affairs, it is expected that I know leadership theory and principles including the organizational vision and how I and others fit into it. It is also important that I conduct a self-assessment of my strengths and challenges in relation to my personal views and values as they inform my leadership perspective and interaction with others in terms of team building. Critical and strategic thinking to create possibilities, demonstration of emotional intelligence and strong decision-making skills are leadership characteristics that can provide motivation to any team. Applying this knowledge to my practice as I work with students and collaborate with colleagues can create positive environments that foster growth and organizational progress. 

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Many times, students rely on me for counsel to form their decisions as they go through the college application process. Providing leadership to these students means identifying the goal, their current challenge, available options, developing a plan, action steps, weighing implications of the selected plan and step-by-step implementation. Providing the kind of support that gives them agency in their own decision-making process helps build confidence in their abilities and provides the motivation they need to follow through and eventually succeed.

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Leadership also entails taking action and encouraging others to do the same. This is fueled by identifying inequities, inefficiencies and gaps that require changes and stepping up to the challenge. My work focuses on college application, every year, my office takes in a new cohort to prepare them to succeed in their applications. This program exists to provide awareness, guidance and resources to applicants who have  the best chances of acceptance at U.S colleges and universities. With increased awareness, the program expanded exponentially and even though our mandate is to increase student mobility by providing assistance to all qualified and interested applicants, we fell into a population crisis and got to a point where we needed to determine what was most important; quality versus quantity. I observed that students were slipping through our fingers because they were too many to keep track of and the personality differences in the cohort placed some students at advantage while disadvantaging others because of the one-size-fits-all group-based advising method we were operating. I raised this concern within my unit and our acceptance policies were reviewed to limit the numbers of students we cater to for maximum success.

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August 2022

Leadership became a concept of interest when I finally was able to debunk the myth that not everyone is supposed to be a leader. Previously, I classified myself as a supportive, collaborative and committed follower that can foster the success of any leader I work with. My first deep dive into organizational leadership was the special topics class on ‘Bridging the Gap’ that I enrolled in last fall, it separated leadership from positional titles and helped me see how everyone can lead from wherever they are because leadership is not about what an office bestows on us but about how we can influence people to do what needs to be done.  

This class on Leadership and Organizational Theories has deepened my understanding of leadership through leadership theory exploration, personal narratives on leadership styles in connection with upbringing and identity, the influence of organizational structures on leadership expression and the importance of self awareness, self-care and emotional intelligence as leaders. I have learnt different leadership models; bureaucratic (rigid and hierarchical), democratic (collaborative), situational (flexible and context based), political (leveraging networks to advance goals), transformational (charismatic and motivational influence), and transformative (social justice advocacy towards equitable systems).  Based on my personality, my leadership style combines democratic, transformational and transformative (mostly elements of a feminist organizational approach) but owing to the bureaucratic environment I have worked in over the last decade, I will incorporate some bureaucratic elements for a sense of structure and order.

The ACPA/NASPA professional competencies rubric outlines areas of growth for leaders in student affairs and provides parameters for personal assessment in four areas: Foundational and Theoretical Principles of Leadership, Self-Awareness and Continual Reflection, Teamwork and Interpersonal Skills and Change Management and Innovation. At this point, my rating in these areas is intermediate. I am able to identify organizational needs and use my leadership as a response to those needs through an understanding of my organization and its goals, I reflect on my work and the influence of my perspectives, my strengths and areas for improvement, I leverage on the strengths of my colleagues, seek feedback, identify inequitable practices and advocate change as I continue to shape my leadership model.

To demonstrate my learning and growth in these areas, I would have referenced two professional artifacts; the gap proposal pointing out an identified gap in the college application program where I work, highlighting the challenges contributing to the gap and a document I developed to include in application forms after meeting with my colleagues to discuss the issue and identify a solution but the version of WIX I used, barres me from linking more than two artifacts. For context, we have a program that enrolls several hundreds of students at the beginning of the college application cycle but by the end of the application year, less than half of that number attains the goal of enrolling in a U.S. college/university. Some factors contributing to this retention gap are beyond our control but some can be addressed; adviser to student ratio and expectation management. As a team, we resolved to review our program acceptance requirements and be more forthcoming with information on the realities of succeeding in the program earlier in the process i.e before registration. The cohort is more promising this year and I look forward to a greater success rate next year. I am also referencing an academic artifact; my leadership autobiography to demonstrate my understanding of leadership concepts, models and theory in connection with my identities as they influence my leadership expression.  

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Professional Development

For my professional development, I will need to upscale my leadership experience by applying the same principles that have worked with student groups to the divisional and institutional level. I will also need to foster leadership development in others; students and colleagues alike. Additionally, I will enroll in the leadership and organizational theories class (SAA 704) to gain a firm grasp of all dimensions of leadership that impact student affairs.

References

American College Personnel Association & National Association of Student Personnel Administrators. (2015). ACPA/NASPA professional competency areas for student affairs educators. Washington, DC: Authors. 

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American College Personnel Association & National Association of Student Personnel Administrators. (2016). ACPA/NASPA professional competencies rubrics. Washington, DC: Authors. 

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Nevarez, C., Wood, J. L., & Penrose, R. (2013). Leadership theory and the community college : Applying theory to practice. Stylus Publishing, LLC.